The best new place of all

I refused to sing "the best old place of all" when I graduated from Princeton University in 1953. I had concluded that Princeton was not ready to support the humanity of a black American student. Now, those rejected words come easier. The campus looks different, its reputation for academic excellence has been enriched and exclusion is yielding to inclusion.

My Princeton journey began as a family experience. Princeton's social values reflected the influence of the Old South, and black servants "in their proper place" provided an acceptable role for the black Princeton experience. My parents, along with many other family members and friends, provided valuable service in that capacity with a bruised humanity. Princeton's faults and virtues were reflected in their painful pride. My family's version of "Old Princeton" is based on our history and that history represents the beginning of my Princeton experience.

Social preference led to the exclusion of black Americans from Princeton's excellent academic opportunities. The social values of the Old South obstructed black American access to Princeton's academic community since the 18th century. As mid-century approached, however, criticism regarding various aspects of Princeton's social values, including an admission process which refused to admit black Americans, increased.

World War II altered the social landscape. Frank Broderick '43, chairman of The Daily Princetonian, energized the admissions debate with his provocative editorials, and beyond the ivory walls, W.E.B. Du Bois and others included Princeton University in their demands for social justice. The debate did not end when the U.S. Navy introduced four black American students to the Princeton University campus to assume undergraduate status in a highly selective officer training program (V-12). The year of 1945 marked the modern beginning of the black American undergraduate experience on the Princeton campus, and their subsequent contributions to society have justified their talent and social competence. Princeton's timid acceptance of racial integration lasted until the Changin' Times of the 1960s and '70s (as Bob Dylan h '70, called it in his signature song "The Time They Are A-Changin' ") when demands for social justice and a controversial war became the catalyst for moral introspection and social change. Princeton's understanding of human need and institutional excellence changed. I changed.

In 1969, I accepted an invitation to become a Princeton University trustee. I suspect that my feelings of self respect, honor, and purpose were also shared by the other trustees who joined the Board to increase the pool of ideas and expand the social representation on the Board. During that era of turbulent change, black Americans, women and a young alumni trustee selected by undergraduates became a part of Princeton's effort to expand that base of governance.

Changin' Times brings back memories of threatened traditional values and hippies behaving badly, but it also was a time for soul searching. The increased level of national concern resulted in a basic reevaluation of social values, and understanding leaders began to place a higher priority on issues such as civil rights, the role of women in society and access to opportunities in higher education. Efforts to diversify the Board of Trustees paralleled efforts to diversify the campus. Change challenged tradition, and loyal Princetonians responded to change in very different ways. Responses ranged from enthusiastic support to firm resistance based on a defense of Princeton's traditional values. In some cases, prejudice, phobia or social elitism lurked beneath a noble defense.

Changin' Times was the background for my service on Princeton's Board of Trustees — an empowering experience and an exciting opportunity to participate in an organization with a mission of high purpose. The Board invited input from the campus and valued the increasing diversity in the boardroom. Transforming leadership took on a deeper meaning. This extraordinary period of social turbulence required extra effort to keep mission on course, preserve governance and maintain a functioning campus. The increasing presence of previously underrepresented students and "the disturbed and concerned conscience of young America" focused attention on student life and student support in ways that benefited the needs of all students. Important decisions involving the quality of student life included women's health, the establishment of the Third World Center, the role of eating clubs and access to athletic opportunities. The broad range of trustee responsibilities, however, required thoughtful decisions touching all segments of the University community. One of the most important decisions involved the selection of a new president.

Those turbulent times left a significant legacy beyond campus life. The University has continued to build on the excellence of the past, and The Third World Center has become The Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding. The University's transforming leadership, operating in a framework of respect for differences, has established a worthy model for Princetonians serving the nation and the world.

Robert J. Rivers, Jr.'53 was a biology major. He is one of the first African-American members of the University's Board of Trustees and was elected in 1969.